First Baptist Church In The News
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Rep. Hinchey Holds Forum
on Iraq War
Emma Wright (Channel 36, Elmira, NY)
March 19, 2008
ITHACA--Congressman Maurice Hinchey marked the 5th anniversary of the
War in Iraq Wednesday by holding a community forum in Ithaca.
Those who came out to the forum said it’s time for some big changes.
“I think they should be removed from office, forcibly. I think that
their needs to be something done where they are removed from office,”
said Bill McGill. McGill says he's fed up with President
George W. Bush. The navy veteran says he's afraid America is losing its
dream, and he wants the Bush administration to do something about it.
“Those who hijacked our democracy should basically be removed from
office”, he said. "I'm not a radical, I’m a person who’s
responsible and I care about what's going on in America.”
Congressman Hinchey held the forum at the First Baptist Church of
Ithaca as an opportunity to discuss the impact of the war. “It’s having
a fairly uniform negative impact across America, everybody is suffering
from the consequences,” he said. Hinchey said the effects of
the war are widespread. He said it has negatively affected the national
debt, personal debt, and the war's trillion dollar price tag is just
plain unnecessary.
“All across this country, this situation is causing a dramatic turndown
in economic circumstances,” he said. “I think that citizens should be
able to voice their opinions on very important matters especially the
situation of Iraq. It is a very crucial matter so we ought to be
talking about it,” said Pastor Richard Rose of the First Baptist Church
of Ithaca. Hinchey says he will continue to press for the
withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in congress.
Click
here for full report and news video, including
comment by
Rev. Richard Rose of First Baptist Church.
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Hinchey blasts Bush on
war's 5th anniversary
By Raymond Drumsta
Ithaca Journal Staff
March 20, 2008
ITHACA
— Tossing out figures in the billion and trillion ranges, Congressman
Maurice Hinchey, D-22nd, commemorated the fifth anniversary of the Iraq
invasion with a visit to Ithaca and a fiery speech linking the ongoing
Iraqi conflict with the American economy, which he said is in a
recession. “The economic consequences we're facing are dire
and
damaging,” Hinchey told the crowd of 40 people assembled Wednesday
evening at a community forum at the
First
Baptist Church of Ithaca.
Hinchey
lit into the administration for what he called the illegal and
unjustified invasion and occupation, and quoted President George W.
Bush's Wednesday speech, in which he said the war in Iraq is “noble,
necessary and just.” “Wrong on all three counts,” Hinchey
said,
“as more and more people across this country know and understand, as
the people of Ithaca knew in 2002. There's no nobility, necessity and
justification.”
With its current budget now before Congress, the
Bush administration has taken spending from things like healthcare,
education and infrastructure “while they escalate the cost of the
military occupation of Iraq,” Hinchey said, adding that Iraq has cost
$500 billion so far, and costs $12 billion every month.
Meanwhile,
Hinchey said, America is in a recession, facing rising food and fuel
costs, a devalued dollar, the massive loss of manufacturing jobs and an
increase in government and personal debt, with wealth being accumulated
by only the wealthiest five percent of Americans. “The
economic
circumstances we face continue to get worse,” he said, pointing to the
Federal Reserve's bailout of investment banker Bear Stearns. Americans
must confront these circumstances intelligently and aggressively, he
said.
“We have to make sure we get a new administration next year that can
deal with this problem.”
Gauging
by their spontaneous applause at his remarks, the crowd seemed
sympathetic. But one outspoken man who wished not to be identified
questioned Hinchey and the Democrats, saying they haven't held the
administration accountable for things such as the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act.
“They've disappointed all of us,” the man said of the Democrats.
Hinchey
fired back at the man, saying the administration has been held
accountable on FISA. Taking an encouraging tone, Hinchey urged the man
to keep fighting.
“You can't let them knock you down,” he said.
In
answering another question about a phased withdrawal from Iraq, Hinchey
said one can begin “almost immediately,” but that some troop presence
will be necessary in Iraq. He called for a strengthened United Nations
to undertake Iraq.
“We need that organization,” he said. “I think the U.N. needs to go in
there. We need to withdraw our troops.”
Questioned
about why members of the administration haven't been impeached, Hinchey
said it was not possible with the current make up of Congress.
Republican response
Republican response
Responding
to Hinchey's visit and some of his remarks, County Legislator and
Tompkins County Republican Chairman Mike Sigler said the United States'
commitment to Iraq is still worth the price, and is a must-win
situation.” Removing U.S. forces now would create a power vacuum,
leading to the genocide of the Iraqi people, said Sigler, R-Lansing.
“It would leave them unprotected,” he said of a withdrawal, adding that
many Iraqis have committed to democracy — some at the cost of their
lives.
Worse yet, Sigler said, a humanitarian crisis created by
a withdrawal might force the United States to reinvade Iraq — a
costlier prospect than the present situation, because troops would be
fighting to regain territory given up in that withdrawal.
Iraq
has “turned the corner,” he added, with the troop surge, by all
accounts, tamping down the violence.
“The political end of this
endeavor is going to take longer,” he said. “It's going to take time.”
Saying he's not well-versed in the Federal budget, Sigler
declined to comment about Hinchey's budget allegations, but said voters
should compare annual budgets to judge the veracity of Hinchey's
statement. Domestic spending, like war spending, will be deficit
spending, he added, and he welcomes a debate framed in those terms.
“Republicans
don't want to deficit spend,” he said. “The problem is, we have a war
we have to finish.” While he conceded that the financial aspect of the
war may have currency with voters, he reiterated the need to finish the
commitment to Iraq.
Sigler said that while he has constituents who served in Iraq, he
doesn't hear much from them about the issue.
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Ithaca Journal-
Friday, August 3, 2007
CU GROUP TAKES STAND AGAINST HATE
By Topher Sanders-Journal Staff
Ithaca- More than 270 people gathered in Cornell University's Ho Plaza
Thursday to express support for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and
Transgender community in response to a religious group who traveled to
Ithaca to condemn homosexuality.

Rainbow
flags were waved enthusiastically and signs reading "God is Love" were
held by many in Ho Plaza as they shouted chants against bigotry.
"We
are just here for a moment of solidarity, empowerment and to reinforce
what our community is about" said Gwendolyn Dean, director of the
Cornell's Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center.
Several
hundred yards away, four members from Westboro Baptist Church of
Topeda, Kan. stood on the corner of Dryden and Hoy Roads at the entrace
of Cornell holding signs

stating that God hated homosexuals,
and that
homosexuals should die.
The church
believes the United States should be destroyed because of its allowance
of homosexuality and what they perceive as other perversions.
"We
had a reminder just last night that the wrath of God again is pouring
down on this nation," said Shirley Phelps-Roper of the church,
referring tothe collaps of the highway bridge in Minneapolis that
killed at least four people.
Rich
Rose, reverence of the First Baptist Church of Ithaca said Baptists do
not stand for the Westboro Baptist Church's mission.
"I
would just like to affirm for you that Baptists are not defind by
hatred, exclusion of this kind of bigotry that we have seen right
around the corner," Rose said. "Baptist in its true definition stands
for liberty and the support of diversity in communion."
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What does the Lord
require of you?
To do Justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.
~Micah 6:8~
Peace to all who enter here.